A Socio-interactive Framework for the Fuzzy Front End Frido E.h.m. Smulders

This paper aims to illustrate that the dominating rational-analytic perspective on the Fuzzy Front End (FFE) of innovation could benefit by a complementary sociointeractive perspective that addresses the social processes during the FFE. We have developed a still fledgling socio-interactive framework blending existing knowledge of the FFE with theories from design methodology and the psycho-social sciences. For the framework constructs like the interplay of design problem and design solution, mental models and social processes are used and applied to the results of an empirical study for illustration. The paper ends by discussing the results and presenting a future research agenda including implications for management. INTRODUCTION Consider the following quote from a salesman of a globally operating supplier of mechanical parts for among others the automotive industry who was interviewed for the current research: “...we have an idea [from a customer], but we are desperate ... It is like a wall, you run with your nose to the wall and you don’t come further [with the new idea]...” This quote clearly illustrates this paper’s core issues: the problems that actors in the front end of innovation encounter in their efforts to bring new ideas further into the organization. From this research project we have learned that interactional and communicational problems behind this quote and similar quotes are quite often causing frictions and barriers in respect to the progress of the early or upfront stages of New Product Development (NPD). In our technology driven, rapidly changing society, the need for fast and innovative product design becomes more and more eminent. But, the design process officially only starts at the moment a clear picture is obtained of the market opportunity and an idea for the new product including a strategy of how to combine these two into a high quality design. In the last decade, this front end of NPD is denoted as a very important and also challenging phase because of its non-transparent character. Due to the required and difficult translation from vague ideas about market needs and likewise vague ideas about possible new products to a new and innovative business concept the front end of innovation is often referred to as the Fuzzy Front End (FFE) (Smith &